Brad Hazzard expected to reveal high-rise plans for North West Rail Link

By Leesha McKenny, Urban Affairs

The state government is turning west to realise its ambition for high-rise development near transport hubs, amid speculation it will scale back its plans for Sydney's eastern suburbs.

Planning Minister Brad Hazzard is expected to soon unveil his plans for greater density housing and businesses along the North West Rail Link.

Areas accessed by the North West Rail Link are expected to experience increased high-rise development.

Photo: Fairfax Graphics

Buildings up to 30 stories high could be erected along the rail corridor from Epping to Rouse Hill. But similar plans to rezone land in Sydney's east remain frozen. Councils and residents are resisting the attempt to impose ''urban activation precincts'' near the $1.6 billion tram line being built from the city to Randwick and Kingsford.

Bill Randolph, of the University of NSW City Futures Research Centre, said land along the north-west rail line was ''low-hanging fruit'' for the government in terms of urban renewal.

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''There's less in the way and they can get on and plan and implement stuff a lot quicker than they probably can elsewhere,'' he said.

Redeveloping existing communities was far more difficult, he said, ''but this is an issue that is simply not going to go away''.

Randwick's Liberal mayor, Scott Nash, said the NSW Department of Planning and Infrastructure was due to present the council with a reworked vision for a precinct in Randwick - but last week's briefing session was cancelled.

The proposal for more density in Randwick - along with another precinct around Anzac Parade in South Maroubra - were placed ''on hold'' for three months in December amid a widening political and community backlash.

The Randwick proposal, due to go on public exhibition this month, will now do so in ''coming months'', the department said.

It advised the council in March that another four to six months were needed to complete a transport strategy for South Maroubra.

''I think that the Anzac South [precinct] is off the table, frankly,'' Cr Nash said. ''I think the government's realised it's so hard to justify more increases in density over and above what's proposed in our council controls.''

City of Botany Bay Council concluded another precinct for Mascot had been quietly abandoned when it was placed on hold last year. A council spokeswoman said it had heard nothing from the department in about eight months.

Three council-nominated sites along the north-west rail line - at Kellyville, Bella Vista and the Castle Hill Showground - are expected to be redeveloped for higher density as the region's first urban activation precincts.

The Hills Shire's Liberal mayor, Michelle Byrne, said ''we need an announcement first'' before she would comment about any plans.

Mr Hazzard was unavailable for comment. But the government's corridor strategy has already signalled that land around Bella Vista station could accommodate future development of up to 22 storeys, or 20 storeys near Kellyville station.

It envisages that the highest future density will be developed around the Norwest Station, where there could be towers up to 30 storeys high.

Cr Byrne said the area's population was forecast to increase by 100,000 people in the next 25 years.

''We think the best way to go to accommodate that growth is to go up and to build high density around transport nodes rather than build medium density throughout the Hills and altering the character of the area,'' Cr Byrne said.

Unlike the precincts causing angst in Sydney's east, those nominated by the Hills Shire were largely free of existing homes.

Urban activation precincts announced last year at North Ryde, Epping, Macquarie Park, Lidcombe and Wentworth Point are progressing through the planning process.

A spokesman said the department was still in the process of preparing the Randwick urban activation precinct planning proposals ''and felt further work was required before the plans were presented to council''.